NASA will gain a better understanding of how galaxies and stars grow as a result of a new mission to survey ultraviolet light across the entire sky. This mission will aid NASA in its exploration of the unknown in both air and space.

The space telescope, known as UVEX (UltraViolet EXplorer), is scheduled to launch in 2030 as NASA's next Astrophysics Medium-Class Explorer.

In addition to undertaking a highly sensitive all-sky survey, UVEX will be able to rapidly identify sources of ultraviolet light in the universe. This will allow it to detect the explosions that occur after bursts of gravitational waves created by merging neutron stars. The telescope will also have an ultraviolet spectrograph for studying stellar explosions and big stars.

NASA's UVEX program will enable scientists to better understand the properties of nearby and distant galaxies and to monitor dynamic events in our expanding universe, according to Nicola Fox, associate administrator, Science Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters, Washington. 

The telescope's ultraviolet scan will supplement data from other missions doing broad surveys this decade, such as the Euclid mission headed by ESA (European Space Agency) with NASA contributions and NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, which is scheduled to launch in May 2027. These missions will work together to generate a contemporary, multi-wavelength atlas of the universe.

NASA chose the UVEX Medium-Class Explorer concept to proceed with development following a thorough review of two Medium-Class Explorer and two Mission of Opportunity concept proposals by a panel of scientists and engineers, as well as an evaluation based on NASA's current astrophysics portfolio and available resources. The UVEX mission was chosen for a two-year duration and will cost around $300 million, not counting launch expenses.